


The ages in which they are

by slytherinshields



Category: Captain America (Movies)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Modern: No Powers, Alternate Universe - No Powers, Best Friends, Boys In Love, Cancer, Childhood Friends, Chronic Illness, Death, Friends to Lovers, Friendship, Innocence, Kid Bucky Barnes, Kid Steve Rogers, Love Confessions, M/M, Major Illness, Modern Era, Original Character Death(s), Original Character(s), Pre-Serum Steve Rogers, Sick Character, Sick Steve Rogers, Skinny!Steve, Terminal Illnesses
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-07-25
Updated: 2016-07-25
Packaged: 2018-07-26 16:55:56
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,392
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7582273
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/slytherinshields/pseuds/slytherinshields
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>They met three times before they became best friends.<br/>--<br/>"I'm going to call you... Bucky."<br/>Preening slightly at the nickname, he smiles and says,<br/>"Okay, Stevie."</p>
            </blockquote>





	The ages in which they are

**Author's Note:**

  * Inspired by [Ten Years](https://archiveofourown.org/works/7453228) by [TheCasualAuthor](https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheCasualAuthor/pseuds/TheCasualAuthor). 



> this is my first fic that I've published on here, I'm not sure if it will be the first and last time or my first and more to come, I suppose time will only tell. 
> 
>  
> 
> This fic was inspired by 'Ten Years' by TheCasualAuthor, check it out, made me sob so much.

He was five and Steve was four when they first met. They were sat next to one another on the train, Steve was coughing whilst his mother was rubbing his back and whispering that he will get better. Bucky sat still until his mother nudged him and indicated for him to give up his bottle of water to the young boy. Turning slightly he handed over the bottle, the blonde haired mother smiled and thanked him.

They met again where Steve had just turned six, and bucky was coming up to being seven - the big boys age is what his mother had told him. They bumped into one another in their apartment building, Steve being the smaller one of the two, promptly fell over. With Bucky helping him up, they boy said a small 'thank you' and carried on walking, with Bucky staring after him.

The third time they met was two weeks after the second time. Steve and his mother were leaving their apartment when Bucky and his mum were too. The mums recognising one another, quickly fell into conversations whilst the boys started at each other, Bucky opening his mouth to say something, Steve quickly got there first,  
"You pushed me over."  
"I didn't mean to!" Bucky said defensively .  
Huffing slightly Steve turned to look up at his mum who was still in the deep conversation.  
"I'm Steve." He said  
"I'm James, but my mum calls me Buchanan if she's angry."  
"Buchanan? And my mum calls me Steven"  
"It's my middle name."  
"I'm going to call you... Bucky."  
Preening slightly with the nickname, he smiles and says,  
"Okay... Stevie."

Afterwards, their meetings became intentional.

At age eight Steve fell ill with pneumonia, Bucky remembers his mother having it once, he never left Steve's bedside, unless his mother demanded it, or Ms Rogers told him Steve should get some rest, he even missed school, not wanting anything to happen and him not being there. However his mum started getting letters and he was forced to go. Without fail though Bucky would get to Steve's house for four and wouldn't leave till ten.  
Eventually, Steve got better, and everything in the world was right.

At school, they were usually left alone, occasionally a few kids would ask Bucky if he wanted to join him, he replied as he always did, and carried on colouring with Steve. Whenever this would happen, Steve caved into himself and was worryingly silent until Bucky would reassure him that he would never leave Steve, promising him.  
"I wouldn't, I swear on my life, Stevie!"  
"I wouldn't mind." Steve would always say but both he and Bucky knew he was lying.  
"You can't get rid of me that easy Steve."  
"I know Buck." Smiling shyly.  
"I will promise only if you promise too."  
"I promise," Steve said.  
"I promise too, cause I'm with you 'til the end of the line." He doesn't know who he heard it from but he knew it fitted perfectly with the pair of them.

Steve was thirteen and Bucky was fourteen when the fights started.  
"Why don't you do the sensible thing and run away?" Bucky would always ask, as he patched Steve up in Bucky's bathroom.  
"Don't like bullies." Steve would whisper.  
"I know Stevie." He would always put his forehead on Steve's after he'd finish, and time would slow and everything in the world would blur into nothingness, the birds and the car honks would fade and it would be them, to nothing and them staring at one another, whispering,  
"Til the end of the line Stevie."  
"Til the end of the line Buck."

Steve was sixteen when he realised he was dying. And Bucky was seventeen when he realised he was hopelessly in love with his best friend.

Bucky was eighteen when he was finally able to tell Steve, and Steve was seventeen when he decided to tell Bucky.

"Buck?"  
"Hmm?"  
"I've got something to tell you." Opening his eyes, Bucky sat up.  
"What?"  
"Well, I don't know how to tell you this... I'm sorry I should have told you when I found out... but I didn't and..."  
"C'mon Stevie, ya know I won't judge ya."  
"Buck... I'm... I'm dying." The look of mirth that was currently playing on Bucky's face dropped.  
"What? C'mon Steve that's not funny."  
"It's not meant to be, I've got cancer, me and my ma found out a couple of weeks before my seventeenth birthday, I'm sorry I didn't tell you."  
"No... you're - you're lying, you shouldn't joke about this Stevie!" Bucky all but shouted, "You can't die! I can't lose you! We're meant to be best friends! 'Til the end of the line!" His voice eventually faded into a whisper.  
"I'm sorry Buck."  
"You can't go, I was gonna, I was gonna tell you I loved you."  
"You still can."  
"Steve, I love you."  
"I love you too."  
And later when Sarah walked into her son's room she saw the pair of them, lying next to each other holding hands whispering sweet nothings to one another.

A few weeks later, you would see Bucky on the top of their building, staring into the sky with a tear stained face.  
But before that, you would see the look of complete happiness on their faces as they did everything they could before Steve reached to the end of his line. The pair had gone to the fun fair, in which Bucky had spent the majority of their money on trying to win Steve a teddy bear - Steve named it Bucky Bear. They went to the beach, in which they kissed till Steve got cold and they had to head back, they went out on dates, Steve drew Bucky whilst Bucky read to Steve, and for those weeks that flew, Steve grew weaker whilst Bucky's heart dropped, the pair couldn't disagree that they were the happiest they had ever been.  
And when there few weeks were up, you would find the pair at the age of seventeen and eighteen, on Steve's bed, hugging one another.  
Steve looks up at Bucky who was already looking at him and says,  
"I'm with you 'til the end of the line." Because who says 'I love you' when you have that line with more meaning than anything else?  
"With you 'til the end of the line Stevie..."  
And with that Stevie nods and the faint line of a smile is there.  
And because Bucky is selfish he doesn't call Sarah, wanting one more minute with Steve.  
When Sarah does know, she and Bucky sit hugging one another, trying hard to not let it hurt - it does anyway.

And so that is how Bucky made his way to the roof of the building, watching the sun set, and feeling his heart break.

It would be nice to say that after a long time Bucky finally started to become his old self, that he made new friends, he fell in love with a beautiful redhead who has a fierce personality and such strong loyalty, they got married and had two beautiful children - twins named Clint and Steve for Bucky would always remember the blond haired boy with piercing blue eyes (as for he was his first love) and Clint as he was a reminder to Nat - he does not what he is a reminder of, for she has not said - but he can not fault her for nor has he. They grew old together and he passed at the grand age of 89 with loved ones surrounding him, and before he is once more joined with his Steve he quietly whispers,  
"Til the end of the line."  
However, I regret to inform you that, this isn't the case, at the age of twenty, Bucky was driving to meet said beautiful red head, when a drunk driver hit his car when Bucky's body was found it was reportedly said that a smile was etched on his face. So either way Bucky found peace with the small blond boy from Brooklyn that was too dumb to run from a fight, the one who if this was during world war ll, Bucky would of followed into 'the jaws of death' for this boy was utterly and hopelessly in love with his best friend and for this he was with him 'til the end of the line. 

**Author's Note:**

> yes i know there was a possibility of steve being 'cured' but 1) steve is to selfless to take the operation knowing someone probably needed it more than him, 2) they couldn't afford it - i know I've not mentioned money in this (or how sick and weak steves body is) but why should i? they aren't the main aspects of the story.
> 
> i know i said in this that it took bucky a long time to become his old self and then stated that it was at the age of 20 when he was gonna meet nat but nat and him start off as friends both dealing with grief - they met at counseling, and they would of started dating when bucky was 33. 
> 
> Nat and Clint use to date however clint died during a mission, in which nat blames herself for it - nat worked for shield but quits after that. The two children they would have had (bucky and nat) do not have their blond hair but brown like bucky's. 
> 
> I was originally going to have bucky kill himself but I felt like that was to forced to have steve and bucky together and steve wouldn't of want that which I know bucky would have known too. 
> 
> Sarah moved out of the building and bucky helped - they never saw one another again. 
> 
> after steve died bucky didn't leave his room for four months. 
> 
> when bucky and steve are reunited steve is healthy but is still his smaller self, bucky and steve live (as much as they can considering they're dead) happy and in love for they are with each over til the end of the line. 
> 
> i hope you enjoyed it, i know its quite shitty but then doesn't everyone's first fic start like that?  
> criticism is welcomed, if i made any mistakes dont hold back, inform me.  
> enjoy your day :)


End file.
